A year-long police investigation has resulted in 13 criminal charges against a former correctional officer whose alleged assaults of inmates at a federal prison for women in Nova Scotia are also the subject of a civil lawsuit.

Truro police say Brian Wilson faces six sexual assault charges, six charges of breach of trust and one charge of communication for the purpose of obtaining sexual services.

Police say they received a complaint in March 2019 alleging inappropriate relationships between Wilson and several female inmates at the Nova Institution for Women in Truro, N.S.

They say Wilson has been brought before a justice of the peace and was released on conditions.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 12 in Truro provincial court.

It's unclear whether the complainants in the criminal case are also involved in the civil lawsuit launched last May against the federal correctional service.

Three women who say they were sexually assaulted launched a lawsuit against the federal correctional service in May of last year.

At the time, Truro Police Chief David MacNeil confirmed that his service had launched a sexual assault investigation at the Nova Institution on March 28.

The multi-level facility in Truro is one of six federal corrections facilities for women across Canada.